An Adventure of a Lifetime
by Radioactive Communist
Summary: Georgiana Dietrich discovers her childhood friend one day and everything changes. She decided she would go with him to Skull Island. Will there relationship last or will it crumble as chaos is unleashed? Englehorn/OC
1. Reunion

**A/N: I do not own King Kong however I do own Georgiana Dietrich, so please don't use her without my permission. This is my first attempt at a King Kong fanfic so please be nice. Although I do appreciate constructive criticism it makes me a better writer! **

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**_Where were you_

_When everything was falling apart?_

_All my days_

_Were spent by the telephone_

_It never rang_

_And all I needed was a call_

_It never came_

_To the corner of First and Amistad_

_~You Found Me By: The Fray_

Navigating the docks was easier than Georgiana Dietrich had thought. She stared up at the ship before her reading the name again for what seemed like the thousandth time and it still read the same thing, _Venture_. She had been standing in the same spot for around a half hour now, trying to convince herself to move. Just a few feet away from her was the gang plank that led to the adventure she had always dreamed of and her childhood best friend. He had been there for her through thick and thin until one day he up and left promising his return; that had been about 15 years prior. She felt her feet dragging towards the gangplank and before she realized what she was doing she was halfway up.

"Well no turning back now," she mumbled in a thick German accent before continuing up.

At the top of the small trans-steamer's deck she turned toward the bow of the ship and the wheelhouse but before Georgiana made it there she was stopped by a young boy who looked to be about eighteen.

"Excuse me Miss but what are you doing on here? This ship is a private vessel and the Captain might get a little peeved that the public is just wandering aboard." He said it in a soft voice trying to show that he only cared for her welfare and wasn't trying to be stern.

Georgiana thought over her word choice carefully before speaking. "Actually I am looking for someone…" Her voice trailed off but she found more strength as she realized it was far too late to turn back. "Your captain, Thomas Englehorn is an old friend of mine and I was wondering if he was about?" She looked at the ground before glancing up at the boy who seemed to be slightly surprised.

Nodding his head the boy spoke "Follow me this way Miss…" he trailed off trying to get her to say her name.

"Georgiana Dietrich but my friends call me Georgie."

"Nice to meet you Miss Dietrich, my name is Jimmy." There was a small silence as she walked a step behind him. "So how do you know the Captain?"

Georgiana stopped as memories flooded in of her childhood. She remembered running through fields being the only girl who was able to beat the boys in races, well the only girl willing to race the boys. She had always chosen to wear pants over skirts or dresses as a child, much to her mother's protest. She was the only girl who had been willing to get dirty while playing with the boys and her closest friend had been Thomas Englehorn. They had both been raised relatively well-off so therefore ran in the same social circle. Even though he had been two years older than her they had always been close. Bonding over their common dream of living a life of adventure instead of being stuck in a snobby society where your every move was judged. Georgiana sighed as she remembered the last time she saw him.

"_When will I see you again?" she asked him._

"_I am not sure but I promise you that I will come back for you," he replied._

"_But when? You promised me that we would explore the world together! Now you are leaving me here all alone with no chance of getting out any time soon!" She was on the verge of tears as her voice began to rise._

_He walked towards her. "Georgie…" He put his arms around her pulling her close._

"_Don't." She pushed him away from her. "You are not going to come back are you?" Tears were now streaming down her face._

_Reaching up to her face he wiped the tears away letting his hands stay there on her pale cheeks. "I plan to but I am not sure when though. I have been given an opportunity to get out here and go out to sea. It is what I have always wanted; I thought that you would be happy for me. You will get a chance to get out of here too but in your own time."_

"_I do not want to go without you though. I want to be with you. I know my way around ships; you have taught me so much."_

"_I'm sorry Georgie." With that he gave her a soft kiss on the lips and he was gone._

She had been 16 years old when 18 year old Thomas had left to start a life on the ship _Venture._ She had since learned that he had worked his way up the ranks of the ship and when the previous captain died he had become the next captain.

She was shaken from her thoughts by Jimmy who had spoken to her.

"Oh. Well we were friends when we were kids our families were in the same social circle." She explained. "I heard his name one day when I was down at the docks for a stroll and I discovered that he was still on this ship so I decided to come and see him. It's been years."

Jimmy looked at her and took her in. She was standing there with long curled honey colored hair in a green dress that was definitely upper-class. He couldn't help but notice that the dress brought out her green eyes and the small amount of freckles that littered her face. She definitely wasn't the most horrific thing to look at but she never considered herself pretty, just plain.

Georgiana noticed the boy was staring at her. "Is there something on my face?"

This caught Jimmy by surprise, "What? Oh no. I was just noticing that you look to be upper class and you said that you and the captain were friends when you were kids. That would make the captain upper class as well…"

"Yes it does. He got out whereas I couldn't. That life is fake. I couldn't stand it nor could Thomas. Well are we going to continue on then?" She has just noticed that they had stopped.

"This way to the bridge Miss Dietrich" He led her down the deck towards the bow and up a set of stairs. He stopped in front of a door that was partially open. Pushing it open the rest of the way Jimmy stepped in followed by Georgiana. Inside there was a black man who was looking over a few maps who glanced up upon their arrival. "Mr. Hayes this is Miss Georgiana Dietrich. She is a friend of the captain. She was hoping to speak with him."

The man, now known as Mr. Hayes nodded and spoke. "Nice to meet you Miss Dietrich. Do you mind me asking how you know the captain? He doesn't appreciate people just wandering aboard the ship." He gave her a sincere smile.

"No. I do not mind. He was a childhood friend of mine and I heard his name when I was down on the docks so I decided to pay him a visit." She explained again with her German accent as almost sure proof.

"Excuse me a moment," Mr. Hayes said before disappearing into a small door in the back of the wheelhouse.

She looked around the room taking in her surroundings also noting that Jimmy was leaving and pulling a book out of his coat pocket. Georgiana stood there for what felt like ages before she heard voices. She strained her ears to hear what they were saying but she could only make out muffled voices. Then she saw the door handle turn and suddenly she wasn't feeling too good. She couldn't believe she had actually gone through with it. It was too late for her to go back now. The door opened and there he stood, Thomas Englehorn. He was almost exactly as she remembered except obviously older, by now he was 32. Her breath caught in her chest when their eyes met.

"Georgie?" He had a look of realization.

"Hello Thomas," she said trying to keep breathing.

He looked over at Mr. Hayes who was still standing there. Mr. Hayes took that as his chance to leave. "I think I'll go find Jimmy and see what the boy is up to." With that he left the room glancing over his shoulder as he closed the door.

The pair stood in silence for a few minutes before Thomas spoke. "What are you doing here?"

Georgiana sighed realizing she would have to explain the same thing again for the third time. "Well a few weeks ago I was down walking on the docks and I heard a few sailors mention your name so I decided to find out if you were still on the _Venture_, which to my luck you were."

"But what are you doing here?" He asked again, his voice soft.

Georgiana looked at the floor again and made up her mind to tell him the truth. She stared him straight in the eye and spoke with pure confidence. "I needed to see you and I needed to know something. Were you ever going to come back? You promised me!"

He looked slightly taken aback. "Georgie I thought we settled this 15 years ago!"

She stood there just staring at him unsure of what to say next. This was going all wrong and she felt tears starting to well up in her eyes again. She couldn't believe she was about to cry over him again! She had already spent too many tears on him.

"Don't cry." He said stepping close to wipe the tears of like he had done so many years before. "It's just that…" His voice trailed off as he tried to think of the right words. "My life has been so erratic and unstable. It's been impossible to get away, even for you." His hands softly caressed her face. "Hey. Smile. You have such a beautiful smile."

She felt herself blushing as well as smiling. Georgiana turned her head to the side shaking it. "You always could make me smile…" She trailed off and turned away from him. "Be honest. If your life ever stabilized, would you have looked for me?"

Thomas grabbed her hand to keep her from facing away from him. "I would have but you found me first and that is all that matters."

A grin broke out across her face as he pulled her closer and into a long embrace. He held on to her as tightly as he could without hurting her and she rested her head on his chest she spoke. "When do you leave New York next?"

He frowned. "Well there is a man by the name of Carl Denham who is paying me a decent sum of money to take his film crew to the Far East. He wants to leave as soon as possible. He has got all of his men and mine scrambling about to leave this evening."

Georgiana looked up into his blue eyes and began to speak, "So soon," she said in hardly a whisper. "This might seem like a far out there question but a long time ago a little boy and a little girl made a promise to each other. They promised that they would have the adventure of a lifetime together and that they would always be there for each other. Thomas, I want to go with you. I want you to keep our promise."

He swallowed hard and looked uneasy but he nodded his head. "On one condition, whatever happens on this voyage you will stay safe and never put yourself in danger."

"Then what is the point of having an adventure if there is no danger." Georgiana had a huge grin plastered on her face.

"Not all adventures involve being in danger," he said.


	2. A New Beginning

Georgiana was handing her travelling trunk over to the taxi driver when she heard her name being called out behind her. She spun around to find her neighbor standing there with a quizzical look on her face. "Oh hello Ms. Stark. How are you on this fine evening?" Georgie was smiling even though she knew the woman hated her but not much could dampen her mood.

Ms. Stark stared at her through tiny spectacles. "Going away for quite sometime or for good? Hopefully." She mumbled the last part trying to hide her hatred. The stout woman was waiting for an answer as the younger woman slid into the back seat of the cab. "Well kraut? Are you going to answer me or not?"

Ignoring Ms. Stark, Georgiana told the driver where to go and they were off towards the docks. Staring out the window, she watched the lights of the city flash by and she realized just how ready she was to get out of New York and to get out of the U.S. Ms. Stark wasn't the only person who hated her for being German in fact many people she met instantly hated her but it wasn't her fault for being born German. Sure she loved her country and her people but she didn't always agree with their choices let alone the choices of the world. Georgie had given up trying to explain to Ms. Stark that she was just a teenage girl living in Germany and had nothing to do with her husband's and brother's deaths not long after she met the woman. This country was just full of hate and at the moment that hate was directed towards Germans from the bitterness left over from the Great War. Approaching the docks for the second time today her heart was pounding out of her chest. Sure she had made some pretty quick decisions before but this was the biggest one of her life.

The cab door opened and she paid the man and gave him quite a large tip and in turn he carried her bags all the way up the gang plank and left them at the top for her. Georgie stood staring at the ship lit up against the night sky and dark bay. It wasn't the most beautiful ship she had ever seen but she knew it had been through many adventures. The old, battered ship seemed to tell a million different stories and she hoped she would hear them all. She was stepping on to the gang plank when she heard Thomas giving orders from further down the docks. She walked towards him and gave him a brief wave to get his attention.

He looked up at her from his paperwork and smiled. "I wish I could show you around right now but we're in a very big rush to get going. If you find Jimmy he can show you your room and I'm sure one of us will find each other later to catch up." He turned toward some members of the crew and began shouting orders.

Georgiana walked up the gangplank and looked around at the chaos on deck as everyone was running back and forth. She recognized Jimmy and Mr. Hayes and made her way over to them. "Hello again. Thomas told me to find you and to ask if you could show me to my room?" She looked unsure as she looked at Jimmy.

"Sure Miss Dietrich. I would be more than happy too. Did you have any bags?" Jimmy stepped forward and motioned for her to go get them.

Georgiana walked over to the large trunk and the two smaller bags that the cab driver had carried for her. She was stooping down to pick them up when Jimmy stopped her and grabbed the trunk and two bags. "You're not one to travel light are you?" He laughed slightly as she blushed. "It's okay miss. It's probably better to have that many outfits, you won't smell as bad as the rest of us."

Jimmy walked down a long wood panel bordered hallway and opened a door, just as a man in a rush came storming down the hallway almost trampelling them over. Georgie stumbled into the room with a loud 'hmph' as she got out of the way. "Some people are just so rude! He could not wait a few more seconds for us to move?" She wasn't prone to being prissy and uptight but when people were just flat out rude she always made her opinion known.

After setting the bags down, Jimmy laughed as he held out his hand to help her up. "That was Mr. Jack Driscoll. He's a writer who was hired by Mr. Denham and from the looks of things he wasn't intending to stay on the ship." Just as he finished saying that, the ship lurched forward. "I guess he is stuck now and that means no turning back for you. Well I will see you later Miss Dietrich." He tipped his hat and left the room, closing the door behind him.

Georgiana looked around the tiny room, it was definitely the smallest space she had ever had to herself but she couldn't have been happier. It was official! The _Venture_ had left port and they were off to a new world and she was off to a new life. She looked at her trunk and considered unpacking it right away to make it more official but she felt the urge to explore. The German opened her door to explore the place she was calling home for the next few weeks and stepped out into the brightly lit hallway. Her hands traced the wood panels and she wandered down the hall, trying to remember where she was going so she wouldn't get lost heading back. She felt the urge to go find Thomas right away but part of her wanted him to find her first so she just wandered the hall until she heard someone shuffeling down the hall. Georgie looked around the corner and saw a lovely blonde haired woman a few years younger than herself looking about as shocked and lost as she was. "Hello." She called to the blonde. "My name is Georgiana Dietrich." She hoped the girl wasn't as predjudice as everyone else.

The girl looked up and smiled at her but lowered her head as soon as she looked at her. "Um hi. I'm Ann Darrow. It's nice to see I'm not the only woman on the ship." Her gaze lifted back up to meet Georgie's and she let herself wonder if Ann just had confidence issues or if her accent did scare her. "If you don't mind me asking, are you in the movie too? I've yet to meet anyone else who is in it. I've met the director and his assistant and that's it."

Georgie shook her head in the negative and started to speak. "You're an actress?" She said it a little excitedly. One of her favorite passtimes was to see a play or movie as long as it was about the extrordinary and not plain and boring.

"Up until recently I did stage comedy but the theater where I worked was closed. Then just today Mr. Denham found me and asked me to be in his moving picture..." Her voice trailed off before she spoke up again. "If you aren't in the movie then why are you here? You don't really seem like the type of person I would see on a ship like this." Ann blushed when she realized what she said came off as rude. "I'm sorry! I just meant that you seem like you come from wealth... and I figured that normally people of your status would sail on something more luxrious."

Georgiana looked over the way Ann was dressed for the first time since they had started speaking. She was wearing a large trench coat that was tied tightly to her body and a large hat that flopped over the sides of her head. Whereas Georgie still had on her lovely green dress from earlier. "Between you and me, I would rather wear pants." She laughed slightly before confirming what Ann thought about her. "Yes, I was born to high society but I never wanted to be there. I always dreamed of adventure and I drove my mother crazy as I came in covered in mud. I would dirty my dresses on purpose so I could wear my cousin's clothes." She smiled at the memories but was brought back to reality by the sound of someone else coming down the hall. She turned to see a shorter, large man dressed in nice clothing.

"Mr. Denham!" Ann said loudly. "Have you met Georgiana? I'm sorry but I can't remember your last name." She whispered the last bit to Georgie who smiled again.

She held out her hand to the man who took it in his and kissed the top of it. "Enchanté." He said in a voice that she assumed was supposed to be charming. He let go of her hand and turned to Ann. "Well I hate to break up this conversation but I need to speak with Ann. She needs to get to work."

The duo waved goodbye and Georgie was left alone in the hallway once again. She wandered until she found stairs and before she knew it she was on deck staring out at the open sea, the distant lights of New York behind them. She shivered as the sea breeze danced on her skin. She cursed softly to herself for forgetting her jacket. She wandered towards the side of the ship and leaned over, listening to the splash of the ship cutting through the water. She shivered again and was turning to go back below deck when she heard the one voice that still made her stomach knot and her heart skip a beat. "If you want an adventure, you should really dress for the weather because if you get sick, you're going to miss out."

Georgiana smiled as she turned towards Thomas who slipped his jacket around her shoulders. She inhaled the scent of it, putting it in her memory. Aftershave, sea water, and cigarettes. Underneath it all though was the familiar scent of the boy she had waited for the past decade and a half. She leaned back over the rail and he stood next to her looking out across the water. Her head found his shoulder as she leaned against him. There was so much she wanted to say and to know about his life but now that she was finally with him again, she couldn't think of anything but that promise a ten year old boy and an eight year old girl had made. She listened to the ocean and closed her eyes as he slid his arm around her waist. Georgie wanted nothing more than for Thomas to kiss her and pick up where they left off but both of them were not the same foolish kids they used to be. A sigh escaped her as she decided that tonight was not the time to get reacquainted. She lifted her head from his shoulder and stared into his blue eyes.

She hesitated before speaking. "It's been a really long day and I should probably get some rest." He hooked his elbow into hers and lead her back to the stairwell. He let her walk infront of him and at the bottom of the stairs they walked side by side again not saying a word. She was thankful he was there because she had no idea how to get back to her room. Georgie tried to think of anything to say to fill the silence but where to start after fourteen years have passed? They stopped in front of her room and she slipped out of his jacket and handed it back to him. "Thank you. I'll see you tomorrow Thomas." She opened her door and shut it behind her whispering a soft good night to him.

Georgiana changed into a crisp white nightgown and laid on her bed gently being rocked back and forth by the ship. She wished she had the same outspoken courage she had when she was a child and she wished Thomas would sweep her up in her arms and she could forget him leaving her without looking back. She wished they could go back to being teenagers and that only fourteen minutes had passed instead of years. She wished she could tell him she still loved him after all these years no matter how much he had hurt her.


End file.
